Lakes 42 place going

[Travs]

I sadly dropped out feeling pretty awful, despite passing through Side Farm on the return a good hour up on my pb.

Had been ill for a couple of days, and despite getting out in the sun on Friday for a dozen miles, i'd only really been able to eat one full meal on Friday.

Breakfast on Saturday was again by necessity a very small affair, and i was hungrily attempting to tuck into my 'emergency' Game Pie well before reaching High Street. Again i couldn't stomach it and after a few bites i left it on the fell wall for the birds.

Plodded on, nibbling Dextrose tablets and the odd biscuit at checkpoints, but the lack of food got to me and shortly after Place Fell summit it was game over.

A shame... it's two years since doing the full course and (admittedly in more favourable conditions this year) I've obviously developed more speed and staying-power. In fact i'd barely broken into an effort in the first 30 miles due to how i felt, and was still looking reasonable for a sub 10:30 finish. After a very leisurely start i was still pretty constantly moving through the field, right up until Boredale Hause when i became more pre-occupied with having a nice lie-down...!

Well done Nick and everybody else. particularly Nigel RTS who destroyed it on a first attempt at the distance.

[Travs]

Oh yes... I also shared the experience of confusion around Grisedale Tarn... found myself variously right on the shore, and a short while later, apparently low down on the zig-zags onto the Helvellyn ridge. Certainly a bit of a confusing place in poor visibility...

Although I did hear someone at the Thirlmere checkpoint claiming they'd actually done two laps of Grisedale Tarn on the way! Although he also claimed that his mate had gone from Side Farm to Thirlmere via Striding Edge, which sounds quite unlikely...!

[anthonykay]

I sadly dropped out feeling pretty awful, despite passing through Side Farm on the return a good hour up on my pb.

Had been ill for a couple of days, and despite getting out in the sun on Friday for a dozen miles, i'd only really been able to eat one full meal on Friday.

Breakfast on Saturday was again by necessity a very small affair, and i was hungrily attempting to tuck into my 'emergency' Game Pie well before reaching High Street. Again i couldn't stomach it and after a few bites i left it on the fell wall for the birds.

Plodded on, nibbling Dextrose tablets and the odd biscuit at checkpoints, but the lack of food got to me and shortly after Place Fell summit it was game over.

A shame... it's two years since doing the full course and (admittedly in more favourable conditions this year) I've obviously developed more speed and staying-power. In fact i'd barely broken into an effort in the first 30 miles due to how i felt, and was still looking reasonable for a sub 10:30 finish. After a very leisurely start i was still pretty constantly moving through the field, right up until Boredale Hause when i became more pre-occupied with having a nice lie-down...!

Well done Nick and everybody else. particularly Nigel RTS who destroyed it on a first attempt at the distance.

You don't seem to be having much luck with the long/ultra stuff recently, but you're performing quite well on the shorter races (e.g. Carding Mill).

[Travs]

You don't seem to be having much luck with the long/ultra stuff recently, but you're performing quite well on the shorter races (e.g. Carding Mill).

That is true, and very observant of you...

I'm still holding onto the opinion that it has been a case of luck/circumstances (Haworth Hobble was going well until my knee played up, and this one was going well but i knew i couldn't maintain after going into a 2nd day without eating properly).

Although i'm not ignorant enough to not look at it as a warning sign. I've got the Coventry Way Ultra on sunday (40 miles) and am genuinely expecting to be challenging there. Then will take a serious look at my long-distance training and plans... It was only by doing that that with a large dose of self-criticism and honesty, that i managed to start improving on 'normal' fell races.

[BritNick]

Travs, sorry you didn't complete. Well done for getting as far as you did as fast as you did. Anthony is right, I've also noticed how you've speeded up. I know you can put that to good use on the long stuff as well - that is when there's nothing going wrong to scupper you. Having said that, there will always be more discomfort and lows to overcome than on shorter races. It's just knowing when to and how to push through them to the finish. You probably already did that in LM42 2017.

[Travs]

Thank you Nick.

I know that my hardest long race - 10 Peaks Lakes - contained some awful 'bad patches' and i probably learned more from that race than any other (despite finishing relatively well in the top 25% of starters).

It is the races you struggle where you find things out about yourself.

[RaceTheSweeper]

I sadly dropped out feeling pretty awful, despite passing through Side Farm on the return a good hour up on my pb.

Had been ill for a couple of days, and despite getting out in the sun on Friday for a dozen miles, i'd only really been able to eat one full meal on Friday.

Breakfast on Saturday was again by necessity a very small affair, and i was hungrily attempting to tuck into my 'emergency' Game Pie well before reaching High Street. Again i couldn't stomach it and after a few bites i left it on the fell wall for the birds.

Plodded on, nibbling Dextrose tablets and the odd biscuit at checkpoints, but the lack of food got to me and shortly after Place Fell summit it was game over.

A shame... it's two years since doing the full course and (admittedly in more favourable conditions this year) I've obviously developed more speed and staying-power. In fact i'd barely broken into an effort in the first 30 miles due to how i felt, and was still looking reasonable for a sub 10:30 finish. After a very leisurely start i was still pretty constantly moving through the field, right up until Boredale Hause when i became more pre-occupied with having a nice lie-down...!

Well done Nick and everybody else. particularly Nigel RTS who destroyed it on a first attempt at the distance.

Sorry you were unwell Travs. Nigel enjoyed the race and all felt good at the end. He has been ill all week with a pretty bad cold. I think he is just totally knackered so his immune system is shot. We are both supposed to be entering the 3 Shires 30 Ultra this Saturday but I really can't see him managing it. Think him and Beau dog will be doing the support for me instead. Hope you both recover quickly
Cheers Sue